JARAGUA DO SUL, Brazil — Rodrigo Damm has finally scored consecutive wins in the UFC.
Damm, a Strikeforce and Sengoku veteran, entered the UFC through TUF Brazil 1, defeating Anistavio Medeiros at UFC 147. After a close decision loss to Antonio Carvalho, he came back with wins against Mizuto Hirota, and initiated his new UFC contract with a win over Ivan Jorge at UFC Fight Night 36 last Saturday.
“I’m sure I landed the better shots. The fight was close, but I was more aggressive,” Damm told the media after his decision win in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. “He’s a tough athlete. The fight could have gone either way, but I was confident I had the win when it was over.”
Both Damm and Jorge have the ground game as their main weapons, so Damm decided to keep the fight standing.
“I wanted to stand and strike against him,” he said. “I knew that my striking game was better than his. My game plan was to frustrate his takedown attempts and keep it standing. It was a good fight.”
“No doubt, I feel way more comfortable now,” he said about his new three-fight deal with the promotion. “It’s great to win, it’s the recognition of the hard work and everything I did to get here.”
Happy with the win, the 34-year-old lightweight, who has fought the likes of Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Melendez during his pre-UFC career, has a new goal in his mind: help his older sister Carina Damm sign with the UFC.
“My biggest dream is see my sister fight in the UFC,” he said. “She’s responsible for getting me in the fighting world, she’s the reason why I kept fighting in the first place.
“When my parents split, she kept me focused in fighting. She paid for my food, clothes and travel. When I became a world champion in jiu-jitsu, she paid for my flight to get there.
“I will do everything I can to help her get in the UFC. I love her.”
Coming off three consecutive wins, Carina Damm (21-10) has wins over Jessica Aguilar and Sofia Bagherdai on her record. However, she hasn’t beaten an opponent with more than two professional victories since 2008.
Damm has gone 13-7 in MMA since that night in 2008, suffering losses every time she fought better competition — including Jessica Eye, Tara LaRosa, Cat Zingano and Hitomi Akano. Despite the bad results against top opponents, Rodrigo Damm believes that she deserves to fight in the UFC if she adds more wins to her resume.
“With three good wins, she can get here,” he said. “She has beaten great fighters in the past, she has competed in Strikeforce and many other great organizations. I’m confident that, with three more wins, she will earn a chance in the UFC.”